Pride and Prejudice and Voyager
by NarcissaMalfoy1119
Summary: What happens when the holodeck malfunctions and the characters from Kathryn's favorite holo-novel suddenly appear on Voyager? My friend challenged me to write a VOY/P&P story and this is what I came up with. Rated T just to be safe. Pease R
1. Lost in Austen

So my friend challenged me to write this and it has been in the works for some time. Enjoy :D

~Cissa

* * *

_**CHAPTER 1: LOST IN AUSTEN**_

Kathryn walked into the ball, her eyes shining. Netherfield was at it's finest tonight: lights shining, music playing, dresses rustling. The Bingley's had outdone themselves this time.

"Kathryn!" she heard someone behind her call. Turning around she saw her friend Elizabeth walking towards her with a smile on her face. "Lizzie!" she called, walking over to her friend and kissing her cheek, "It's so good to see you. You look beautiful! Wickham will drop at the sight of you or I'm a simpleton!" Kathryn didn't trust Wickham's appearance of goodness, but she knew Lizzie was fond of him so…

"That's the general idea" Lizzie replied, her eyes twinkling, "If only I could find him. He doesn't seem to be here…"

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere. He obviously wanted to dance with you," Kathryn winked, causing Elizabeth to laugh. The two friends linked arms and walked into the ballroom together. They were soon joined by Mr. Denny who greeted them warmly.

"Miss Elizabeth, Miss Kathryn, you both are looking lovely tonight," he said with a bow.

"Thank you Mr. Denny," Elizabeth replied as they both curtsied.

"Miss Elizabeth, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Mr. Wickham has been called away to the north country and won't be back until tomorrow."

"Oh no," Elizabeth said, with a dismayed look on her face.

"Just between the two of us, I don't think he would have had to leave so quickly if he wasn't trying to avoid a certain gentleman we all know…"

"Oh, I'm sure. Thank you Mr. Denny for telling me."

"You're servant Miss Elizabeth...Miss Kathryn…" he bowed again than was dragged away by Lizzie's sister Lydia.

"I'm sorry Lizzie," Kathryn said, "There will be another time, I'm sure of it."

"I know," Lizzie said with a sad smile, "I was just really looking forward to dancing with him. And to know that my chance was lost because of Darcy! That odious man!"

Suddenly a shadow appeared as a tall, handsome form towered behind them. _Speak of the Devil_, Kathryn thought as they turned around and came face to face with Mr. Darcy. His face wore his customary hard expression, completely unreadable. Though Kathryn wouldn't admit it out loud, he did look quite handsome in his suit and coattails.

"Miss Bennett, would you do me the honor of dancing the next with me?" Mr. Darcy said.

"Why...I couldn't...you see...I...I thank you, yes." Lizzie replied, eyes darting around, trying to find some excuse to reject him and finding nothing. The music started and he offered her his arm, which she reluctantly took. As he led her to the floor, she looked back at Kathryn and made a face, showing her dislike with the arrangements. Kathryn just smiled, feeling sorry that her friend had to dance with such an un-likeable person.

Suddenly she saw another tall form walking towards her and her smile widened. This man was also tall, dark, and handsome with kind dark eyes, a great smile, and a tattoo over his eye. In his suit and coattails, Kathryn couldn't remember a time he looked more handsome.

"Kathryn. You look stunning this evening," he said, coming in front of her and giving a little bow then taking her hand and kissing it. And indeed he was right. Her empire wasted, smoky grey muslin dress complimented her eyes perfectly and accentuated her slim waist. Her hair cascaded down over her shoulders in waves with a few well placed flowers to accentuate her look. Chakotay thought she looked like an ethereal goddess, and the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

"Thank you Chakotay," she said, smiling at the compliment, "You don't look too bad yourself. I think I'll change your uniform to a suit and coattails."

Laughing, Chakotay held out his hand to her "Dance with me Kathryn?" he said.

"Of course." she said, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her to the floor. Soon they were dancing, weaving in and out in the intricate figures of the Boulanger. Every once and a while they would catch each others eye and smile enjoying each others presence. Chakotay cut a handsome figure on the ballroom floor and Kathryn's ethereal beauty caught the eye of more than one single man much to Chakotay's chagrin. During an especially tricky sequence, Kathryn lost her footing and stumbled into Chakotay's arms, causing a couple of the old biddies nearby to cluck their tongues disapprovingly. Looking up into his brown eyes, Kathryn felt a wave of something wash over her, just what she couldn't say. Suddenly she wanted to lean into him, feel his arms wrapped around her, feel his lips against hers…

"Tuvok to the Captain." suddenly came over her combadge, causing her to snap back to reality.

"Janeway here," she responded breathlessly, taking a step back from Chakotay and blushing furiously.

"Captain, you and the commander might want to come to the bridge."

"On our way," Kathryn said nodding to Chakotay, "Computer, end program Austen 1" she called as they exited the holodeck.


	2. Unexpected Arrivals

_**CHAPTER 2: UNEXPECTED ARRIVALS**_

"Report," Kathryn said as she and Chakotay entered the bridge, still in full regency costume. "No wisecracks please Mr. Paris," she commanded, seeing Tom open his mouth about to say something, only to have him immediately shut it again and turn back to the helm.

"We appear to have entered an ion storm captain," Tuvok replied to her original request.

"On screen," she said, turning to look at the flashes of lightening shooting through the black clouds around them. Chakotay saw her immediately tense, and he couldn't help but smile. His captain wasn't afraid of many thing, but thunder and lightening storms were one of a very short list. She had told him of the storms they'd had out on the plains in Indiana as a little girl, and how she had always run to her dad for comfort. He reached out and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn her head and smile a weak smile at him before turning back to the task at hand.

"Mr. Kim, how big is the storm and how long will it take us to get out?"

"It's the biggest one we've hit yet captain. However, it's interfering with many of our ships system's and I can't get an accurate reading on the size."

"Captain, based on preliminary measurement before the storm knocked out sensors, I would predict that it will take us at least three weeks before we reach the other side," Tuvok chimed in.

"Is there any way to speed up that time Mr. Paris? Could we go around the storm?"

"Afraid not captain. Going faster than warp 2 through an ion storm is a bad idea, and going around it would take us at the very least a month - and that's going at warp 8."

Sighing as she resigned herself to three weeks of storms, she turned back to Harry.

"You said it was interfering with our ship systems. What systems have been affected exactly?"

"Sensors are down, life support on deck 5 has failed and it's been evacuated, only half the replicators are functioning…"

"And the holodeck," Kathryn interrupted suddenly.

"Captain?"

"The holodeck is malfunctioning too Mr. Kim," she replied again.

"How do you…"

"Kathryn, Chakotay...what is this place? And what are we doing here?"

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce Miss Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy," Kathryn said, after several moments of stunned silence as everyone stared at the new couple, clearly out of place.

…

"So, let me see if I get this straight Kathryn...we're not real..."

"Not exactly. You aren't made out of flesh and bone, but rather photons of light projected into our physical surroundings. You're still just as real as the rest of us?"

"Right...and Longbourne?"

"Is a virtual environment also created out of photons of light..."

"That is projected into your 'holodeck', as you call it, on a flying device in outer space. You and Chakotay aren't really from Hertfordshire, but are from many years into our future and you go onto your holodeck and pretend to be in our world as a form of entertainment?"

"Correct."

"And now this holodeck is malfunctioning and we have been able to leave it and come into your world."

"That about sums it up Lizzy," Kathryn said, coming over and taking her friends hand, "I know this is difficult for you, but I promise we'll get you back as soon as we possibly can. In the mean time, I hope you will consider our home your home. If you ever need anything at all, Chakotay and I would be happy to help."

"Thank you Catherine." Lizzy smiled and got a gleam in her eye, "This is going to be a wonderful holiday. What are men to stars and planets?" This caused them all to laugh, and Kathryn knew they were going to be just fine.

…

"As you know the ion storm is interfering with many of our ships systems, and the holodeck is no exception. The ions interference has caused the holosystems to travel through the ships bioneural circuitry and basically turned the entire ship into a giant holoemitter," B'Lana explained during the emergency meeting of the chief officers.

"Thus our friends being able to leave the holodeck," Kathryn interjected.

"Exactly. The storm has also created a one way force field around the holodeck - holograms can go out, but not in."

"So Lizzy and Darcy will be with us for the duration of the storm," Chakotay said.

"B'lana, use one of the working replicators to copy the Dr.'s mobile-emitter. There's no knowing when this effect will stop and I don't want Lizzy and Darcy dematerializing into nothing."

"Yes Captain."

"Mr. Tuvok, there is a high probability that more guests will be joining us over the next few weeks. Can you please post a minimal security detail outside the doors to the holodeck so we can be apprised of their arrival."

"Yes captain."

"Perfect. Now, I know I can count of all of you to make our guests feel welcome on Voyager."

"Of course Captain," Neelix said in his usual boisterous manner, bringing a smile to Kathryn and Chakotay's faces.

"Wonderful. Dismissed." As everyone got up to leave, Chakotay stayed behind the rest of the group. As soon as everyone was out of the room, Kathryn visibly wilted. Her shoulders drooped, her head came down to her hands, and she sighed as if she had been holding her breath during the entire meeting. Slowly Chakotay walked over behind her and began massaging her shoulders. He felt the tension leaving her body as she slowly melted into her chair.

"What's wrong Kathryn?"

"It's been a long day. What with Lizzy and Darcy showing up, all the ships malfunctions…"

"Not to mention a giant ion storm," Chakotay said, a roguish grin on his face.

"There's that too," she said with a laugh.

"Come on Kathryn - dinner, my place," he said, holding out his hand for her.

"I don't know...will there be antarian cider?"

"Of course," he said flashing his dimples. Returning the smile she took his arm and allowed him to lead her out into the cooridors.


	3. Father Knows Best

_**CHAPTER 3: FATHER KNOWS BEST**_

Kathryn was walking by the doors of the holodeck when the doors opened. Surprised for a second Kathryn smiled when an old man stepped out, clearly shocked to find himself not in his comfortable library.

"Mr. Bennett," Kathryn said, walking up to him, "Welcome to Voyager."

"Kathryn...where...where am I? I went looking for Lizzy and found myself here. And what are you doing here?" he asked, voice faltering slightly and gripping her hand.

"You are on Voyager, Mr. Bennet. My...my starship," she hesitated, a little worried about how he would take the news.

"Star ship...like a ship that sails amongst the stars in the sky?"

"Exactly Mr. Bennet."

"Fascinating!" he said, his eyes opening with wonder, as he took in more of his surroundings, glancing out the window at the stars flashing by. Then a small smile crept on his face, "So, I take it you're not really from Merryton, are you Kathryn?"

"No Mr. Bennett," she replied with a smile, laughing, "I am not. I guess you could say I'm from the future."

"I always knew you were a special one, Kathryn, just like my Lizzy," he said, flicking her nose fondly.

"Speaking of Lizzie, I'll take you to her. She and Darcy arrived here just before you did and she should be able to explain things better than I can."

"My Lizzy arrived with Mr. Darcy...well, that must have been interesting!"

"Actually, you'd be surprised. They've rarely spent a minute apart since they arrived here yesterday," Kathryn said, giving him a sly look.

"Really?" he said, offering her his arm and leaning in conspiratorially as they began walking towards Lizzy's quarters.

"Yes! They've eaten meals together, spent time in the hydroponics bay…" Kathryn said, gossiping like an old biddy as they walked along.

...

"Yes?" a quiet voice said when Kathryn rang the door chime a few hours later.

"Mr. Bennett, it's Kathryn. Can I come in?"

"Of course. Please do my dear." Kathryn entered and the old man walked over to great her.

"My dear Kathryn," he said, coming over and offering his arm, "to what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

"I was merely coming to check on you. Make sure everything was okay," Kathryn said, sitting down next to him, "I know it can be...kind of a shock...ending up somewhere completely new and learning you were not exactly who you think you are…"

"My dear Kathryn, after years of listening to Mrs. Bennett's wailing complaints about her nerves, nothing anyone tells me can ever be unpleasant," he said with a wink, causing her to laugh.

"She does seem to like to hear herself talk," Kathryn said with a smile, thinking of Mrs. Bennett's behavior at the ball.

"As do my younger daughters…" Mr. Bennett interjected, "Believe me Kathryn, I consider this a much needed vacation." They both started laughing and it was several moments before they were able to calm down again.

"So Kathryn, tell me about yourself. Obviously everything you told me on your...holodeck, was it called?...wasn't accurate. I'm curious, who is the real Kathryn Janeway?"

"What exactly do you want to know, Mr. Bennett?"

"Well, I always say a girl likes to be crossed in love now and again. Do you have any special someones?"

"Oh, I hardly have time for that Mr. Bennett…" Kathryn said, laughing slightly.

"Nonsense Kathryn, everyone has time for love. Now, what lucky gentlemen have captured your heart over the years? Indulge an old man, please..."

Then, without even realizing it, she began telling him everything - about Justin's death, her engagement to Mark and his "dear John" letter after she had gotten them stranded in the Delta quadrant...

"What about your Mr. Chakotay...he seems a pleasant fellow," Mr. Bennett commented, "you two made a fine pair at the Netherfield ball."

"Chakotay?" Kathryn asked, blushing slightly. She remembered nights on New Earth and the angry warrior tale he told, watching him trying desperately to save her when they crash-landed on that planet, the electric shock that coursed through her body every time they touched, the longing she had for him when she stumbled into his arms during the dance. "I don't know what you mean Mr. Bennett. Chakotay and I are simply coworkers, that's all."

"Well then, are there any young men that suit your fancy?"

"I'm afraid not Mr. Bennett," she said, recovering with a laugh, "As captain, it isn't appropriate for me to have a relationship with anyone on the crew, and as far as aliens go, the selection is rather limited." This caused them both to erupt into peals of laughter and they continued talking long into the night.


	4. Delicate Females

_**CHAPTER 4: DELICATE FEMALES **_

It was now two days since Lizzie and Darcy had shown up and Kathryn was sitting on the bridge.

"How are our guests getting along?" Chakotay asked her, leaning across the com station to better talk to her.

"They seem to be doing alright, considering the circumstances."

"What...that they were transported from ancient England to a StarShip millions of light-years away in the Delta Quadrant. Not to mention they find out they aren't real, but rather photons of light projected to make images" she said with a smile causing them both to laugh.

"Tuvok to the Captain," suddenly came over the com system.

"Janeway here."

"Captain. It appears we have another visitor."

Kathryn looked at Chakotay, her surprised expression matching his own. "We'll be right there. Tom you have the bridge." With that she and Chakotay exited to meet their new mysterious visitor.

…

When they reached the holodeck they were met by a very embarrassed Lizzie. She was standing and conversing with a short pudgy man dressed in a clergymans uniform while Darcy stood to the side not saying anything and looking very uncomfortable.

"Kathryn," Lizzie said, stepping forward, "I would like to introduce you to my cousin, Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins, this is my friend Miss Janeway."

"My lovely Miss Janeway, what a pleasure it is too meet you," he said walking forward and kissing her hand causing her and Chakotay to look at eachother with raised eyebrows.

"Likewise Mr. Collins, Elizabeth has told me so much about you."

"All good I hope," he replied with a simpering smile.

"Of course," Kathryn said, exchanging glances with Chakotay, the both of them trying hard not to laugh.

"Mr. Collins went looking for me this morning and ended up here," Lizzie said by way of explanation, "I've just been telling him about Voyager."

"I must say the idea of a female holding a military commission is completely irregular. Lady Catherine was just saying..."

"I think I explained everything satisfactorily. I told him he was on a ship in outer space. We came from something called the holodeck and we can't go back until it gets repaired," Lizzie interrupted quickly before he could continue.

"That's right. Mr. Collins, I will provide you with quarters while you are with us. If you just follow Chakotay he'll take you to where you'll be staying."

"With pleasure madam."

…

Over the next week Kathryn noticed that Mr. Collins affections were taking an unpleasant turn in her direction. For the first day he still continued his attentions to Lizzy she had noticed at the Netherfield ball. However, after being rebuffed several times and seeing how much time she spent with Mr. Darcy, his affections changed. Soon he was joining Kathryn for meals, interrupting her conversations with Chakotay, and spending all his time with her on the bridge until she finally had to ban him from the premises.

...

Kathryn was sitting in her ready room a week after Mr. Collins arrival when the door chimed.

"Come in," she said, expecting Chakotay. Instead she was surprised as the plump, stout figure of Mr. Collins entered the room.

"Mr. Collins, how can I help you?"

"I was hoping, madam, to solicit you for the honor of a private audience in the course of this morning."

"Of course Mr. Collins. I'm free now if you want to talk."

"Well Miss Kathryn, you can hardly doubt the purport of my discourse, however your natural delicacy may lead you to dissemble; my attentions have been too marked to be mistaken. Almost as soon as I entered the ship, I singled you out as the companion of my future life. But before I am run away with by my feelings on this subject, perhaps it would be advisable for me to state my reasons for marrying."

At this point Kathryn was too stunned to respond. She wanted to stop him, but in mistaking her silence for joy, the odious man kept prattling on.

"My reasons for marrying are, first, that I think it a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in his parish; secondly, that I am convinced that it will add very greatly to my happiness; and thirdly-which perhaps I ought to have mentioned earlier, that it is the particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the honour of calling patroness. Twice has she condescended to give me her opinion (unasked too!) on this subject; and it was but the very Saturday night before I left Hunsford-between our pools at quadrille, while Mrs. Jenkinson was arranging Miss de Bourgh's footstool, that she said, 'Mr. Collins, you must marry. A clergyman like you must marry. Choose properly, choose a gentlewoman for MY sake; and for your OWN, let her be an active, useful sort of person, not brought up high, but able to make a small income go a good way. This is my advice. Find such a woman as soon as you can, bring her to Hunsford, and I will visit her.' Allow me, by the way, to observe, my dear Kathryn, that I do not reckon the notice and kindness of Lady Catherine de Bourgh as among the least of the advantages in my power to offer. You will find her manners beyond anything I can describe; and your wit and vivacity, I think, must be acceptable to her, especially when tempered with the silence and respect which her rank will inevitably excite. Thus much for my general intention in favour of matrimony; This has been my motive, my dear Kathryn, and I flatter myself it will not sink me in your esteem. And now nothing remains but for me but to assure you in the most animated language of the violence of my affection. To fortune I am perfectly indifferent, and shall make no demand of that nature to you. On that head, therefore, I shall be uniformly silent; and you may assure yourself that no ungenerous reproach shall ever pass my lips when we are married."

With this he finally shut up and allowed Kathryn a moment to gather her thoughts and let him down gently…

"Mr. Collins, thank you for the honor of your proposal. However, it's impossible for me to accept. I am the captain of this ship and I can't abandon my crew at this time. For me to consider marriage is impossible."

"I understand, my dear Kathryn. I am willing to wait until you can make arrangements to pass on your commission to someone else before we are married."

"Mr. Collins," said Kathryn, "I will not resign from captaining Voyager - ever. I stranded my crew out here and I will get them home again or die trying."

"But my dear Kathryn, I cannot marry a woman with a military commission...it's highly improper. You must resign and become a proper woman before we are married."

"Mr. Collins, I cannot marry you. I will not. To give up my captaincy is something I will not do."

After several seconds of stunned silence, Mr. Collins responded, "I am not now to learn," replied Mr. Collins, with a formal wave of the hand, "that it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept, when he first applies for their favour; and that sometimes the refusal is repeated a second, or even a third time. I am therefore by no means discouraged by what you have just said, and shall hope to lead you to the altar ere long."

"Really Mr. Collins, what is there in anything I have said to give you that kind of hope! What part of 'I will not marry you' do you not understand!"

"When I do myself the honour of speaking to you next on the subject, I shall hope to receive a more favourable answer than you have now given me;" he continued, "though I am far from accusing you of cruelty at present, because I know it to be the established custom of your sex to reject a man on the first application, and perhaps you have even now said as much to encourage my suit as would be consistent with the true delicacy of the female character."

"Mr. Collins! Please!" Kathryn interjected, but he persevered.

"You must give me leave to flatter myself, my dear Kathryn, that your refusal of my addresses is merely words of course. My reasons for believing it are briefly these: It does not appear to me that my hand is unworthy your acceptance, or that the establishment I can offer would be any other than highly desirable. My situation in life, my connections with the family of de Bourgh, and my relationship to your own, are circumstances highly in my favour; and you should take it into further consideration, that in spite of your manifold attractions, it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may ever be made you. Your portion is unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effects of your loveliness and amiable qualifications. As I must therefore conclude that you are not serious in your rejection of me, I shall choose to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females."

Loosing all patience Kathryn burst out, "Mr. Collins, I am far from an elegant, delicate female. I am a captain of a star ship. I've explored the Delta quadrant, made first contact with dozens of species, battled the borg and won. How could you possible think I'd be happy settling down in a country parsonage with a hologram no less!? What's more, you are odious, conceited, and full of pompous condescension. I would rather kill myself than become your wife and I pity the woman who fills that position in the future. Now, one final time I say to you, no. I will not marry you!"

"You are uniformly charming!" cried he, with an air of awkward gallantry; "and I am persuaded that when sanctioned by the express authority of your crew, my proposals will not fail of being acceptable."

Exasperated beyond endurance, Kathryn stormed out of her ready room leaving a shocked Mr. Collins standing there, staring blankly after her.

…

"So he actually thought you were just being modest?" Chakotay said, trying hard to contain his laughter and failing miserably. He and Kathryn were enjoying dinner in her quarters to escape Mr. Collins and talking about the events of the day. On one hand, he was somewhat annoyed that Mr. Collins had proposed to HIS Kathryn, though admittedly he couldn't fault the bumbling parson's taste. Was he only mad that Mr. Collins had done what he only wished he could do? Probably. On the other hand, the way Kathryn told the story made it comical and he couldn't help but laugh.

"He said, and I quote, 'As I must therefore conclude that you are not serious in your rejection of me, I shall choose to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females,'" Kathryn said, pulling a face and mocking his oozing condescension causing the both of them to crack up into peels of laughter.

"I wish I had been there to see this."

"Oh yes, next time I get proposed to I'll make sure you're right there to witness the whole thing," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"I'll hold you to that," he said with a grin holding out his champagne glass for a toast,"To Mr. Collins...may he find someone to put up with him eventually."

"Here here," Kathryn said, smiling and clinking glasses with him.


	5. The Voyages of Mr Wickham

_**CHAPTER 5: The VOYAGES OF MR. WICKHAM **_

"Kathryn...Kathryn...can you hear me?" Elizabeth's voice came uncertainly over the com. Kathryn had given each of her guests (except Mr. Collins of course) a combadge so they could contact her at any time and Lizzie was still getting used to the new technology.

Kathryn and Chakotay shared a smile before she tapped her badge in response, "Yes Lizzie. What can I do for you?"

"And she can actually hear and respond to you…all through that little device...fascinating…" Kathryn heard Mr. Collins voice in the background…

"Hush Mr. Collins," she heard Lizzie say before she responded to Kathryn's enquiries, "We have yet another guest Kathryn, and this one is someone who claims an acquaintance with you."

…

"My dear Miss Kathryn, what I pleasure it is to see you again," Mr. Wickham came forward and bowed, taking Kathryn's hand and kissing it, much to Chakotay's chagrin.

"And you too Mr. Wickham, it is indeed a pleasant surprise to see you here."

"Miss Elizabeth has already told me about your...starship...was it called?...and I must say, the idea of being among the stars is quite extraordinary."

"I've been out here for five years, and it still never gets old," Kathryn replied with a smile.

"Yes, well, I would love to see more of the ship, if that is permissable?"

"Of course, Chakotay here will show you to your quarters and then give you a tour of Voyager."

"If you don't mind, Miss Kathryn, I would much rather explore on my own."

"Suite yourself," she said with a shrug before she and the others left him to his own divices…

…

"Kathryn, are you sure it's wise to let Wickham explore on his own?"

"Why Lizzie, I thought you liked him? Why this sudden skepticism?" Janeway replied with a sly smile. She and Lizzie were walking through the corridors and discussing this latest development.

"Mt. Darcy has just been telling me a story of his past relationship with Mr. Wickham…"

"And it's not good…" Kathryn prompted, ready to hear the full account. She had heard rumors at the Netherfield ball of Darcy and Wickham's dealings and she was ready to hear the other side of the story.

"Not at all...I daren't go into particulars, but suffice it to say I no longer believe Mr. Wickham a trustworthy young man...infact, my feelings are quite the opposite…"

"I can't say I'm surprised...I never quite trusted him you know."

"I'm only ashamed that I did…" Lizzie finished, looking a little down heartened, "I must own I liked him a great deal."

"Well now, it appears your affections are transferring to another quarter," hinted Kathryn slyly with another teasing smile. She had noticed how many hours Lizzie spent in Darcy's company now and how easily the two seemed to converse. She was pretty sure she had even seen an actual smile cross his face on evening at dinner when Elizabeth had made a witty remark on something Mr. Collins had said.

"I can't imagine what you're talking about," Lizzie said, blushing slightly before shooting a smile at Kathryn, "Don't even get me started on a certain Captain and her first officer."

"What? Chakotay? Oh no. We're colleagues…" Lizzie just gave her 'the look.' "Okay, good friends. Nothing more," Kathryn insisted, causing Lizzie just to smile and shake her head. "It's true!" Kathryn said, giving Lizzie a soft shove on the shoulder, causing the two friends to laugh before saying goodbye as Kathryn entered the bridge.

…

Wickham was going exploring. He was on this...starship...whatever that is...and there were women all over. He would be damned if he wasn't going to take advantage of the situation. Walking through a door, a tall, lanky blonde caught his eye. _Perfect_ he though with a devilish grin on his face.

"My name's George. George Wickham," he said, walking over to her and leaning against the computer consul she was working at, "And who might you be?"

"Seven. Seven of Nine. Tertiary adjunct of unimatrix zero-one," Seven replied, not even looking up from the computer consul.

"Seven. That's a...unique...name. I like it."

"Whether you like it or not is irrelevant. It is my designation and what you will address me by."

"Well Seven...maybe you can tell me where we are," he said, looking around at the complex machinery surrounding them.

"This is my alcove. I'm just about to regenerate."

"Regenerate?"

"I am Borg," was her curt reply.

_Well that doesn't tell me anything_. _Still, you don't find a woman like her every day_.

"Well Seven, maybe when you're done with...what ever it is you're doing...we could get to know each other a little better." he asked, putting on his most charming smile.

"Are you asking me out, Mr. Wickham?" she said, finally looking up and turning to him.

"No...not at all…" he said quickly, wondering what exactly that meant.

"Then you wish to copulate?"

"What?" he said clearly confused.

"You wish to have physical relations," she replied, trying to explain.

"I just want to get to know you better. Become friends," he replied. "Of course, if you want to have…physical relations...I wouldn't say no," he said, a sly smile on his face, his lecherous eyes gleaming as he surveyed Seven's curvy body.

"I'm not interested Mr. Wickham. Good bye," she finished curtly, walking into her alcove and beginning the regeneration process, leaving Whickham standing there wondering what just happened.

…

Wickham entered another room with a gigantic glowing thing sitting in the middle of it and a bunch of people in yellow shirts running around, playing on computer consuls. Quickly, he spotted the most attractive woman and walked over to her. She was quite petit, with short brown hair. Obviously she was the one in charge, since all the other people in the room were listening to her barking orders.

_A woman with power. I like it _he thought, walking over to her.

"Hi. I'm George. I'm new around here and I was just wondering if you could show me around."

She turned around and he was startled to see she had some ridges on her forehead. _Some sort of birth defect_, he thought.

"I'm sorry...George...but I really don't have time. If I want to get you and the others home soon I have to finish rerouting power to the holo-emitters and make a couple other adjustments to the power uplinks."

"At least tell me your name...I don't have many friends here."

"It's B'Lana."

"B'Lana. I like it. You all have interesting names in this starship of yours."

"Well George, it's been a pleasure chatting but I really have to get back to work."

"Can't I stay and talk to you?" he asked with his best hopeful look.

"I would rather you didn't."

"Now come on B'Lana! I really want to…"

"George. Don't make me hurt you. Please just get out of engineering and let me do my work."

"But B'Lana…"

She immediately grabbed one of his arms and wrenched it behind is back, causing him to cry out in pain. "Now listen here George," she hissed in his ear, "I'm in charge around here. And when I say get out," she pulled his arm back even tighter eliciting another cry, "get out."

She released him and smiled to herself as he quickly ran out the door.

…

"Come in." a raspy voice called when Wickham pressed the button next to the door.

"Kathryn. It's good to see you again," he said as we walked into the Captain's ready room.

"Captain."

"Excuse me?"

"You're a military man Mr. Wickham. You will address me as Captain."

"I apologize, Captain."

"Thank you. Now, what can I do for you?"

"I've been taking a tour of this ...starship, did you call it?...it's very nice."

"Thank you, Mr. Wickham. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself here."

"Well, I wouldn't quite say that. I was rebuffed by...what was her name...Seven? And B'Lana literally threw me out of...engineering, did she call it?"

Kathryn just smiled, and Wickham saw that she really was quite beautiful, "Yes, that sounds like them. You'll have to forgive them Mr. Wickham…"

"Please, call me George,"

"_Mr. Wickham_," she said, looking at him, her eyes hardening ,"you'll have to forgive them. Seven is very curt, but she has a good heart. And B'Lana...well, that Klingon temper often get's the better of her."

"Oh, I don't mind. The person I really want to get to know better is you…" he said, with a roguish grin.

"Excuse me?"

"Why don't you…"

But he was interrupted by the sound of the door chime and Kathryn's saying, "Come in."

Much to Wickham's chagrin, in walked Chakotay. "I'm sorry Kathryn, I didn't know you had a visitor."

Wickham was waiting for her to tell him off for addressing her by her first name, but she just smiled her dazzling smile and responded, "Not at all Chakotay. Mr. Wickham was just telling me about his day her on Voyager. Apparently he had a little run in with B'Lana."

He chuckled, "She was just telling me about that. And speaking of B'Lana, that's why I'm here. She and Tom would like us to join them for lunch, if you're available."

"I'd love to," she said, walking over and taking his arm. They were half way to the door when she suddenly remembered her guest. "Thank you for your visit Mr. Wickham. I hope the rest of your stay here is comfortable. You might want to stay out of engineering in the future though," she said, sharing a laugh with Chakotay before they exited, arm in arm, leaving Wickham all alone.

…

Walking through the corridors, two attractive brunettes caught Wickham's eye. _Twins_, he thought_, perfect_.

"Hello Ladies," he said, striding up to them.

"Hello," one of them said.

"Who are you?" the other one asked.

"I'm George Wickham. And you?"

"Jenny"

"and I'm Megan"

"We're twins" they both said in unison.

_Now that's hot_ Wickham thought.

"Well Jenny, Megan, would you mind helping me back to my quarters. I seem to be a little lost."

Just then one of the doors next to them opened and out walked a handsome, though somewhat boyish, Asian man. Both the twins smiled widely and each of them latched onto one of his arms.

"Hi Harry." they both said at the same time.

"Hello ladies. Ready for lunch?"

"Oh yes."

"Wonderful. Let's go."

As they walked off the twins turned around and said "Good bye George" before continuing on their way.

…

"Miss Elizabeth!" Wickham said, coming up behind her in the corridors.

"Mr. Wickham," Lizzie said, a little flustered though trying to keep her composure, "What a pleasure."

"I've missed you," he said, smiling down at her.

"And I you Mr. Wickham."

"Lizzie, what's the matt…" he started to say, but was interrupted as Mr. Darcy walked up to them and Lizzie exclaimed, "Darcy!"

"Miss Bennett, would you do me the honor of joining me for luncheon, that is, if you're unoccupied at the moment..."

"Oh, of course. Mr. Wickham and I were just finished talking," Lizzie said, far too quickly, "Thank you Mr. Wickham. I'll see you some other time," she said, smiling at him before taking Darcy's offered arm and walking off.

_I hate Voyager_ Wickham thought to himself as he wandered back to his quarters, finally giving up.


	6. Oh My Lydia

_**CHAPTER 6: Oh My, Lydia**_

"Lizzy to Kathryn, we have…"

All of a sudden there was a rustling sound and this loud annoying voice came over the come, cutting off Lizzy's commentary, "Are you really talking to her? Through that little thing? Brilliant! Hi Kathryn! It's me, Lydia! Can you hear me?"

Kathryn tore her combadge off her uniform and held it at arm's length as Lydia shouted at her then she clipped it back onto her shirt, "yes Lydia, I can hear you perfectly. Hand the com back to Lizzy please?"

"The what?"

Kathryn groaned, "The thing you're using to talk to me...hand it back to Lizzy."

"You're no fun. No wonder you and Lizzy are friends…" Lydia whined.

"I'm so sorry about that Kathryn. She just appeared as Darcy and I were walking by."

"That's quite alright. Can you take her to a quarters in the same wing as yours and make sure she gets settled? I have to stay on the bridge for a few more hours."

"Of course Kathryn. Thank you."

…

An hour later Lizzy had taken Lydia to her room and explained their surrent situation...something about them being holograms and being on a spaceship...Lydia wasn't really paying attention. The only thing she really heard was that there were officers on board…

"Alright Lydia, Darcy and I are going for a walk in the hydroponics bay. You stay here. I don't want to think about what mother would say if something happened to you."

"You spoil all the fun Lizzy," Lydia said pouting as Lizzy just shook her head and left. Waiting an acceptable amount of time for Lizzy to have disappeared, Lydia left her room to go exploring. There were officers galore on this ship, and she wasn't about to leave before flirting with every single one of them.

…

Entering a room she found it occupied by a rather dashing young man working on fixing some sort of mechanical device.

"Hello there. I'm Lydia, and you are?"

"Tom, Tom Paris. Chief pilot here on Voyager."

"What's that your working on Tom?" she said, walking a little closer to him.

"This is the DeltaFlyer, our shuttle craft. It's basically a small version of our spaceship."

"So like a life boat on a frigate?"

"Exactly," he said, flashing his dashing smile.

"Can I help?"

"I don't see why not. Come here and grab this pulse converter. Walking over to him she made sure her fingers bushed his as she took the weird rod-like instrument from his hands.

"Alright now, hold it above the wires, press the button, and wave it over them."

"Which button do I press?"

"The big red one."

"Show me," she said, putting on her best pouty face. She was hoping he would come over behind her and wrap his arms around her as she pointed out the button to press. Instead he just gave her an incredulous look, walked over, and pointed to the big red button on the stick before turning back to his ship. Sighing she waved it over the wires then put it down, sneaking up behind Tom and putting her hands over his eyes, causing him to jump. "Guess who?" she called, playfully. Suddenly her arms were ripped back by an angry looking woman with short brown hair and a rather peculiar birth defect on her forehead.

"Get your hands off my husband," she said.

"B'Lana, cool down. I'm sure Lydia didn't mean any harm," Tom was immediately on the defensive, hands held up in front of him to ward off an attack and calm the woman.

"Didn't mean any harm by it?" she spat, "Oh please! I've spent some time in the Captain's holo novel and this young girl spends all her time chasing after young men, especially officers. I'm sure she just wanted to add you to her collection."

She turned back to Lydia, "Unfortunately for you, this one's off limits. So scram!" Slightly frightened, Lydia backed out of the room slowly and went on her way.

…

Next she entered a room filled with strange looking beds and a few injured people sleeping on them. _This must be some sort of hospital_ she thought to herself.

"Ah, another hologram has come to join us!" A bald man in a blue shirt walked over and began shaking her hand, "How very pleased I am to meet you. I'm the ships EMH - that stands for Emergency Medical hologram, but you can just call me the Dr. I've been programed with over 100 teraquads of medical data, dating back to the Ancient Egyptians…" and he was off, monologue about his various triumphs and achievements. Tuning him out (he wasn't even cute), she looked around at the other young men in the room. None were worth her time so she simply turned around and left, leaving the Dr. talking to himself.

…

"Lieutenant Commander Tuvok…" Lydia read on the doorplate of one of the rooms… "an officer! Perfect!"

Pressing the door chime she heard a deep voice say, "Come in."

Entering she was met with a dimly lit room with candles burning all around. A man sat in the middle of the room, eyes closed, doing who knows what.

"Captain...as you can see I'm a little preoccupied at the moment…" the man said, not opening his eyes.

"Oh la, I'm not the Captain," Lydia said laughing, "I'm Lydia. Lizzy's sister."

Opening his eyes and turning towards her, Lydia noticed he had large pointy ears…

"Lord, your ears! What happened?"

"I am Vulcan," he replied, still staring at her with a deadpan expression on his face.

"And I'm English!" she replied with a smile.

"Yes...well, could you please leave, Lydia. You are interrupting my meditation."

"But I want to talk! Get to know you better," she replied, walking up to him and entwining her hands with his. His hands shot out of hers quicker than light and before she knew it, he had pressed his communication device, "security team, please report to my quarters, intruder alert."

"Alright, alright! I'm leaving!" she cried, backing towards the door, "La, you're worse than Lizzy. Don't' you know how to have little fun?" she asked as she stepped outside.

"I am Vulcan," he said again, as if that explained everything. And the doors closed.

…

Walking into another room, she found she had entered some sort of public dining room. Looking around she scanned the room for any cute boys. One officer caught her eye - was he from the east Indies, China maybe - but he was seated at a table with two other girls who had their hands all over him. Continuing the search her eyes fell on a well built figure in a red shirt sitting alone at a corner table. _Per-fect_ she thought, putting on her best smile and walking over to him. As she approached he looked up and met her gaze.

"Hi, I'm Lydia."

"Commander Chakotay, first officer here on Voyager" he replied, smiling at her, flashing the most perfect set of dimples. _Second in command_ she thought _jackpot! _

"Can I join you?"

"Of course," he replied, gesturing to the seat across from him.

"So...Chakotay...are you seeing anyone?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him. His mind flashed to Kathryn - holding her on New Earth, his anguish as she lay dead in his arms…

"No, I'm not."

"Well then, what are your feelings towards dating a hologram...say, I don't' know…me…" she said, again trying the tactic of slipping her hand into his.

A look of surprise flashed across his eyes, before being replaced by one of relief, "Kathryn!" he called, waving to the petite, auburn haired woman who had just entered the room. She flashed him a dazzling smile and walked over to them.

"Hello Lydia. Wonderful to see you again. May I join you?"

"Of course," he replied, quickly before she could.

As Kathryn sat down Lydia stood up, "I'm so sorry, but I actualy must be leaving. Wonderful to see you again Kathryn." And she left, leaving the two sitting at the table, heads together, talking.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt our conversation…" she said, once Lydia was out of earshot.

"Don't be! She had just asked me if I wanted to date her. Needless to say, I was relieved when you walked in!"

"She didn't!" Kathryn said, surprise coming over her features.

"Oh but she did. Now I know how you felt when Mr. Collins proposed…" they both left at eachother awkward situations and continued to have a very pleasant meal.

…

Lydia in the meantime was walking back to her quarters, dejected and sad. A ship full of officers and none of them would date her. She wasn't looking at where she was going and ended up bumping into someone.

"Lydia...when did you get here?"

"Wickham…"

…

A few hours later Lizzy burst into Wickham's quarters to find him and Lydia together on the bed.

"Lydia! What are you doing!"

"Lizzy! I'm so glad you're here! Wickham and I are going to be married as soon as we get back to Longuebourne!"

"Why do I not believe that, Mr. Wickham…"Lizzy said, turning to him and glaring.

"Lizzy, let me explain…"

"No Mr. Wickham, I'm done listening to you. I'm going to talk to Kathryn about this…"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Lizzy," he said, a menacing look in his eyes…

…

"Lizzy, calm down. Everything will be fine. Nobody ever will have to know that you guys came here - to them it will be like the time when you left - and thus no one will know that Wickham and Lydia were here together, much less slept together."

"That's what I thought! However, he's already threatened to tell everyone when we get back and ruin her forever! Oh Kathryn, what can I do!"

"in that case, there's only one thing to do. They must marry, yet he is such a man."

"Oh yes! They must marry! But how?"

During this exchange, nobody noticed that Darcy had left the room.

…

Half an hour later he was back… "Miss Elizabeth, It's all taken care of. The wedding will take place tomorrow, with Miss Janeway's help of course," he said, bowing to her.

"But Darcy, how?" Lizzy said, in a state of complete shock.

"I told him I'd pay off his debts then some when we got back home again."

"Oh Darcy! I can't let you do that."

"No Miss Elizabeth...the fault was mine and so must the remedy be. If I had let everyone know of Wickham's true character, none of this would have happened. You must allow me to make ammends for my errors in judgement."

Several moments of silence passed then she came and took his hand in hers, eyes shining, "Thank you Mr. Darcy. I promise no one in my family will know what you have done for us, if that is your wish."

"It is," he replied, looking down at her lovingly.

Kathryn, feeling slightly awkward, quietly left the room, glad things had reached this happy conclusion.


	7. Duel of the CatherineKathryns

_**CHAPTER 7: DUEL OF THE CATHERINE/KATHRYN'S **_

About a week later Kathryn was sitting in her ready room when she heard a voice from the bridge.

"I demand to know who is in charge here! You, boy, where is your mistress! I will speak with her!"

Suddenly the doors opened and a grand personage entered the room, followed by Chakotay.

"I'm sorry Captain," he said giving her an exasperated, yet amused look, "but she just appeared off the holo-deck and insisted on seeing you right away."

"So I heard," said Kathryn with a small smile at him, "That's quite alright commander." Kathryn then turned to the woman. She was rather old and rather plump, wearing a dress with way too much lace and decoration for Kathryn's taste.

"You are in charge of this...this...dump?" the Lady inquired in an imperious voice.

"I am. How may I help you?"

"We must speak in private. You will tell your servant to leave us," the Lady replied, gesturing to Chakotay.

"Chakotay will stay here. Whatever you say to me, you can say to him."

"Miss! Do you know who I am?" the Lady demanded, taken aback at having her order denied.

"Haven't the faintest idea," Kathryn replied, shooting an amused look at Chakotay.

"I am Lady Catherine De Bourgh! Daughter of Earl James Fitzwilliam, widow of the late Sir Lewis De Bourgh!"

"Captain Kathryn Elizabeth Janeway of the Federation StarShip Voyager. Now that introductions are out of the way, what I can I do for you Lady Catherine?" Kathryn responded without skipping a beat.

"I demand to be told where I am! And how I got here! And I demand to be returned home to my place of residence at once!

"Lady Catherine...to put things simply you don't really exist. You are a character in a book that is being projected onto our spaceship. However, our technology is malfunctioning at the moment and, unfortunately for us, you cannot return to the book that you belong in. Therefore, we'll give you a place to stay until you can go home."

Stunned for several moments, Lady Catherine tried to digest all this information. Finally it seamed the only part she picked out and understood was that she was to be taken to a living quarters…

"I demand I see these quarters! If they are not adequate I will require others"

"All the quarters are exactly the same. You will stay where we put you. Dismissed," she said before Lady Catherine could object anymore. Chakotay showed Lady Catherine out, consigned her to Harry's care, then came back into the ready room to find Kathryn with eyes closed massaging her temples.

"Well, she's friendly," Chakotay said with laugh.

"That woman could make a Vulcan angry! I feel bad leaving her to Harry, but I couldn't put up with her any more."

"You seem to be able to handle yourself pretty well," he said with a smile, "you certainly didn't let her push you around."

"What was I supposed to do? Allow someone else to dictate how I run my ship?" Kathryn said, looking up at him.

"That would be nice...especially if that someone was a certain First Officer…" Chakotay said with a wink causing her to laugh.

"Keep on dreaming Commander," she replied, taking his arm and allowing him to lead her to the mess hall for lunch.

...

"Miss Kathryn, I'm glad I caught you. Can you spare a moment to discuss a rather delicate and perplexing matter?" Mr. Darcy said, appearing on the bridge one afternoon.

"Of course Mr. Darcy," she replied with a smile, "come into my ready room and we can talk."

As they left the bridge Tom turned around and grinned at Chakotay, "Well, looks like the captain's getting some good news."

"What do you mean Tom?"

"Well, what else can this 'delicate and perplexing matter' be other than a marriage proposal?"

"Tom, I didn't think you could be so stupid. The Captain and Mr. Darcy and just friends. And besides, haven't you noticed all the time he's spent with Lizzy Bennett?"

"Who in turn spends a lot of time with the Captain," Tom pointed out, "Obviously he's just spending time with her to get to the Captain." Of course, Tom didn't really believe this. He knew there was only one person for his Captain, and Mr. Darcy wasn't it. However, he thought he would take this opportunity to make Chakotay jealous and give him a push in the right direction. Tom saw Harry about to say something, but quickly made a face that clearly said, 'stay out of it Harry, I'll talk to you later,' when Chakotay's looked down for a second. Harry quickly shut his mouth and Tom turned back to the helm, leaving Chakotay to his thoughts. _It can't be true_ Chakotay thought, frowning slightly. He thought of their night on New Earth where he had bared his soul and she had welcomed him with open arms; the anguish seeing her lying there, lifeless on that planet; her smile, her laughter... _Kathryn and Mr. Darcy? The whole idea is ridiculous. Or is it… _

…

"Mr. Darcy, what can I do for you?"

"Miss Kathryn...how do I begin?...Miss Kathryn, you are too inteligent to not have noticed I have developed...feelings...for a certain someone."

"Lizzy?" Kathryn said, with a smile.

"Yes! I wish to offer her a proposal of marriage. Do you think she would find that agreeable?"

Looking back on the last few weeks, Kathryn smiled, "I'm sure she would be delighted to accept Mr. Darcy. I've noticed she's grown quite fond of you during your stay here on Voyager."

"Well then...how do you think I should go about it?

"Well, let's see…she mused."

…

The next day Kathryn was sitting in her ready room when the doors burst open and for the second time Lady Catherine entered without permission.

"Miss Janeway," she screeched, "rumors of an alarming nature have reached me here. People are saying that my nephew, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberly, is engaged to be married to you! An upstart miss from the future with no family connections or fortune!"

Kathryn was too stunned to respond to the accusation and she sat in silence, waiting for some kind of explanation.

"Well!" Lady Catherine demanded after several moments of silence, "Do you have nothing to say to this!? Any explanation for why you started these rumors! Or do you pretend to be ignorant of the situation!?"

"Lady Catherine, I don't know how these rumors got started. I certainly didn't initiate them. However, if I was going to marry Darcy, I don't see how its any of your business."

"Miss Janeway, I demand that you tell me what I want to know! Do you presume to marry my nephew or not!"

"I have no interest in marrying your nephew," Kathryn finally said, after letting Lady Catherine stew for a few moments.

"And do you promise never to enter into such an engagement, or promote a different engagement between him and those beneath his notice."

Thinking of Darcy's imminent proposal to Lizzy, Kathryn responded, "No, I don't think I will promise that."

"Miss Janeway, I demand…"

"Lady Catherine! You have come aboard my ship uninvited, insulted me and my first officer in every way possible, and you have the audacity to give me orders on my own vessel! I must order you to leave at once and go to your quarters! What me and my crew do is my affair and I will not allow you to interfere! Dismissed."

She looked back down at the pad she had been examining before glancing up again and seeing Lady Catherine still standing there, a loss for words. "That's a Starfleet expression for get out!" she said, causing Lady Catherine to glare at her before exiting the room.

…

"So, you and Mr. Darcy are not engaged?" Chakotay asked her over dinner that night as she told him of the days events.

"Are you kidding? Me and Mr. Darcy? He's a dear friend, but no."

"I thought...Tom told me…" he said, trying to find the words.

"Oh Chakotay…" she said with a sigh, taking his hand in hers in a rare gesture of affection, "you didn't believe all those rumors did you?"

"I did," he said quite embarrassed, "When Mr. Darcy wanted to talk to you in your ready room Tom convinced me that it was...a marriage proposal."

"It was," Kathryn replied, laughing, "but it wasn't for me! For Lizzy! He wanted my advice on how to best tell her he loved her!" Seeing the irony Chakotay began laughing too and both enjoyed the merriment of a good joke for several minutes.

"I'm sorry Kathryn for believing those rumors. Can you forgive me?" he replied, when they had calmed down.

"Only you if pour me some more of that Antarian cider," she replied with a teasing smirk.

"Deal," he said, flashing those handsome dimples of his.


	8. Good Byes and Hellos

_**CHAPTER 8: GOOD BYE'S AND HELLO'S **_

"Torres to the bridge"

"What is it B'Lana?" Kathryn responded into her combadge.

"Captain, we're out of the ion storm. We should be able to get the Holo-systems functioning normally again in an hour."

"Thank you B'Lana. I'll go inform our guests. Janeway out."

Turning to Chakotay she gave him a sad little smile, "I was actually enjoying having them here. Now I'm sad to see them go."

"Even Mr. Collins?" he said with a grin.

"Especially Mr. Collins. You know, it's not too late to accept his marriage proposal…" she returned with a mischievous wink, causing him to laugh.

After several minutes of laughter she finally stood up. "You go get Darcy, the Wickhams, and Mr. Collins, tell them to be ready in one hour."

"Who are you going to get?"

"Lizzie, Mr. Bennett and her ladyship," she said, raising her eyebrows and giving him an exasperated look.

"Good luck," he said, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks, I'll need it."

…

Kathryn wasn't one to leave unpleasant things long, so she decided to get her conversation with Lady Catherine over with first.

Pushing the doorbell she was greeted with and condescending, "Come in, if you must."

Walking into the room, the two Kathryn's met each other's gaze with what can only be described as loathing.

"Your ladyship," Kathryn said, "you will be able to return home within the hour."

"Well, it's about time! I've been waiting here in these cramped quarters for days."

"I'm sorry you've found your quarters...unsuitable...but as I said you will be able to leave soon," Kathryn responded, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

"I have another complaint!"

"Imagine that," Kathryn thought to herself, but she didn't say anything.

"You have been acting in a most scandalous manner with your friend...Chacoateye, or whatever his name is…"

"Chakotay" Kathryn corrected him.

"Don't interrupt me! As I was saying, your behavior has been scandalous. Flirting and batting your eyelashes at every turn. And after making overtures to my nephew! It's an outrage!"

"I'm sorry my behavior has upset you in anyway your ladyship," Kathryn said, struggling to keep her composure, "but I must speak frankly. As I told you before, I had no intentions for your nephew, nor ever flirted with him. And as far as my first officer, our relationship is nothing more than friendly."

"But Miss Janeway…"

"That is enough your ladyship! I do not have to put up with any more insults!"

And with that Kathryn turned on her heals and marched out of the room meeting up with Chakotay in the hall.

"That woman could make a nun swear! If I could I would pick her up and throw her off this ship into space!"

"I think the rest of the crew would be happy to help you in that endeavor if you'd like," he said, laughing.

Smiling she asked him, "How did you're meeting with Mr. Collins go?

"Oh you know Collins...all mock civility and condescension. "

"Yes, that does sound like him. Well, I better go see Mr. Bennett and Lizzie."

"And I have to go speak with the Wickhams and Darcy."

…

"Come in" a calm voice said, as she pushed the door chime.

"Ah, Kathryn, come to visit an old man again I see."

Smiling, Kathryn walked over to Mr. Bennett who was sitting in a large wingback chair. "No one could ever think you old Mr. Bennett."

"Now Kathryn, flattery will get you no where. Why, you're just as bad as my Lizzie."

Laughing, Kathryn looked into his kind eyes, "B'Lana has just informed me that the holodeck will be fixed within the hour and we'll be able to send you home.

"My dear Kathryn, thank you so much for your hospitality and kindness. Lizzy and I couldn't have dealt with this without you."

"It's been my pleasure Mr. Bennett. I've enjoyed our conversations. You're very wise and I have received great council from you."

"Yes, well, might I be allowed to give you one final piece of advice?"

"I wish you would."

"Well then," he said, "Might I suggest you tell that Chakotay fellow how you feel about him?"

"I beg your pardon," said Kathryn, not believing what she was hearing.

"You heard me Kathryn! Tell your first officer how you feel about him. It's quite plain to see that he loves you and you love him."

"I'm sorry Mr. Bennett, but I believe you are mistaken."

"No, I don't think I am."

"Mr. Bennett, please! You are mistaken. As I told you before, Chakotay and I are friends, nothing more."

"Very well, if you say so," he said with a gleam in his eye that clearly said he didn't believe her.

"I will see you in an hour Mr. Bennett, said Kathryn somewhat coldly.

"Ah, now I see I have upset you. Please forgive my teasing Kathryn, it was kindly meant."

"Of course Mr. Bennett," she said her face softening, "I hope we can remain friends."

"I dearly hope so too. I look on you as my third daughter, after Jane and Lizzie of course."

"What about Mary, Kitty, and Lydia?"

"They are their mother's daughters, not mine I assure you," he said with a smile that caused them both to laugh.

"I must go tell Lizzie we're ready. Goodbye Mr. Bennett, and thank you."

"No my dear Kathryn, thank you."

…

Pushing the door chime, Kathryn waited several seconds until she heard "Come in."

"Elizabeth. We should be able to get you all back to the Holodeck within the hour. B'Lana is working to get it fixed right now."

"Wonderful. Thank you Kathryn!" Elizabeth said, walking over to Kathryn and grabbing her hands, "You've been so kind to us. Especially to my father. I can't thank you enough."

"It's been my pleasure," Kathryn said, smiling back at her, "I've enjoyed having you here Elizabeth. I hope we can remain friends."

"I can assure you of that," Elizabeth said laughing. "Will you come to the wedding? Darcy and I would love to have you and Chakotay there with us."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world! I'm sure Chakotay will be happy to come too."

"And when might Darcy and I expect a similar invitation?" said Elizabeth, an arch look in her fine eyes.

"Excuse me?" said Kathryn, quite confused.

"O come on Kathryn! You can't hide it from me. Chakotay is in love with you and you're just as bad."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken Elizabeth. Chakotay and I are good friends, nothing more."

"What ever you say Kathryn," said Elizabeth with another look, "but might I just say, you could do a lot worse." With that she left the room, leaving Kathryn to her very troubled thoughts.

…

Outside the holodeck, Kathryn and Lizzie Embraced one more time as Chakotay and Darcy said their final goodbyes.

"Remember what I told you," said Lizzie with a smile and a wink, as she caught Kathryn's eyes wandering to stare at her handsome first officer.

Blushing, Kathryn said her final goodbyes and all the characters entered the holodeck.

"Computer, end program Austen 1," she said, and they disappeared.

Turning to Chakotay, she linked her arm through his, "Come with me to my quarters?" Her voice was pleading, making sure he knew this was a request and not an order.

"Of course," he replied, and they began ambling through the halls on their way to her room.

"Would you like to come in?" she said when they finally reached her quarters, "have a cup of coffee?"

"I'd love coffee" he said, smiling.

They entered her quarters and he took a seat on the couch.

"Regular or Decaf?" she asked him.

"Decaf if you don't mind."

"Computer, two coffees. One decaf and one black."

After they were replicated, she brought them over to the couch and sat by him.

"I bet you use all your replicator rations on coffee," he laughed.

"What can I say, every captain has their own way of coping with the stress of the job. Mine is coffee," she said smiling back.

After several minutes of silence, she took a deep breath and said, "Elizabeth invited you and I to her wedding. She said it'll be in about a month."

"Sounds wonderful," he replied, "I'm so happy for them."

"She also asked me when they might receive a similar invitation…,"she then looked up at him with the scared look of a dear in the headlights, "from us."

"And what did you tell her?" he asked, all seriousness.

"I told her we were just friends…" she replied, unable to meet his gaze.

"Oh Kathryn…" he said, kneeling down and taking her hands in his, "You know I want to be more than friends. I always have and I always will. I love you Kathryn."

Bending down slightly she leaned in and kissed him, deeply and passionately. She allowed all the love and emotion she had pent up for all the years since she had first seen his face be put into that one kiss. Chakotay returned her kiss with equal passion and emotion, pulling her down from the couch into his lap running his hands through her thick auburn hair.

After several minutes they finally broke apart, and she smiled up at him, "I love you Chakotay."

Smiling back he said, "I never thought I'd hear your voice say those words."

"Well, I'm sorry it took me so long to say them."

Stroking her cheek he replied, "It doesn't matter now. I'm just glad you finally did." He kissed her again, pulling her even closer to him. This kiss was longer and more passionate than their first. Soon Chakotay pulled her so close and held her and she was responding with such enthusiasm that they tipped over, sprawling on the ground. Laughing, he crawled over to her and cupped her face in his hand.

"Are you alright? Anything broken?"

"Just my pride" she said, laughing as she propped herself up on her elbow, tracing his tattoo with her finger.

He leaned in and kissed her softly and deeply. After several minutes they broke apart and he helped her up, drawing her to him as he did. She laid her head against his chest and sighed with contentment as he held her close and stroked her hair with his hands.

"I love you Chakotay," she murmured.

"And I love you Kathryn," he whispered back.

…

Late that night Chakotay and Kathryn sat together on the couch. He held Kathryn closely in his well muscled arms. Her head was rested against his chest and she was fast asleep.

Stroking her auburn hair he marveled at the beautiful woman next to him... her bright eyes, her long hair... He couldn't believe that he had finally won her. She had always been aloof and distant, afraid to break protocol and fall in love. Now she was here with him and he would never let her go again.

Bending down he kissed her softly, causing her to stir and turn to look at him.

"Hello," she said smiling, returning his kiss.

"Kathryn," he said, maneuvering so he was kneeling with both her hands in his, "I love you more than anything. I can't imagine living another day without you! Will you do me the great honor of marrying me and becoming my wife?"

Tears came to her eyes and she smiled. "Yes! O yes, yes, yes YES!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms and kissing him passionately, running her hands through his hair. Pulling her close, he kissed her back. Both became completely oblivious to the world around them.

…

The next day they walked through the corridors arm in arm, smiling and laughing all the way, never taking their eyes off each other. They didn't care who saw or what the crew thought. Kathryn's ring glimmered in the light and their joy radiated for all to see.

B'Lana just laughed and thought, "Finally!"

Nelix came up to them, shaking their hands and congratulating them warmly.

Tuvok was happy for his best friend and glad she had found someone kind and brave who was worthy of her. It was a logical idea.

"It's about time," Tom Paris whispered to Harry Kim as they watched the two strolling towards the bridge.

"What do you mean Tom?"

"Oh Harry, you're so naïve! The Captain and Chakotay have been in love with each other since the first moment they laid eyes on one another. I wonder when the wedding will be?" he asked himself.

Not even skipping a beat Kathryn called back, "Next month Mr. Paris!" leaving Tom blushing and Harry laughing

Chakotay smiled down at her and softly kissed her forehead. "Have I told you how much I love you?" He whispered in her ear.

"Mmmm...yes, but I'd love to hear it again."

"I love you Kathryn Janeway…so, so much," he whispered, pulling her close.

"And I love you Chakotay...more than anything." She kissed him softly then linked her arm back through his as they continued towards the bridge.


	9. I Do

_**CHAPTER 9: I DO **_

The day of the wedding was bright and beautiful...at least, as well as it could in the Delta Quadrant. Kathryn and Lizzie were together getting ready for their double wedding in Kathryn's quarters, thanks to the Dr.'s holographic emitters.

"My dear Kathryn," exclaimed Lizzie when she first entered the room, "I couldn't be happier for you! And the fact that we get to share this special day together makes it even more splendid!"

"What, no 'I told you so'?" asked Kathryn, eying her friend suspiciously.

"Oh, that was next," said Lizzie with a wink and a smile.

Laughing, Kathryn went over and hugged her friend.

"Lizzie! I'm so happy, I can hardly stand it! And I get to share this happiness with one of my best friends…" Kathryn sighed, her shoulders sinking somewhat.

"Kathryn, what is it?"

"It's just that...I don't deserve such happiness."

"O Kathryn, of course you do! Everyone deserves happiness in their life...even the captain of a starship," Lizzie said, smiling at her friend and squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Thanks Lizzie," Kathryn said, embracing her friend.

"That's what friends are for Kathryn. Now, what do you say we make ourselves so gorgeous our fiancés drop dead at the sight of us."

"Sounds like a plan," Kathryn said, laughing.

…

Several hours later Lizzie left to go find Jane, and soon after the doorbell chimed.

"Come in," said Kathryn, expecting Tuvok to come and tell her it was time. Instead she turned around and was face to face with Chakotay.

"Chakotay! Don't you know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding," she said with a teasing glance and quick smile.

"I don't believe in superstition," he said walking over and pulling her to him.

"You're going to ruin my dress," she breathed.

"Who cares," he said, leaning forward and kissing her.

Breaking apart, he began stroking her cheek with his hand. "You are so beautiful Kathryn!" And indeed, he was right. Her dress had a deep red fitted corset top complete with Captain's pips and StarFleet insignia and a flowing white skirt. The look was completed with her long, deep auburn hair waving down her back.

"Thank you," she said blushing, "you don't look so bad yourself."

Chakotay's tux showed off his muscles to perfection and looked amazing on his strong body.

Laughing, Chakotay just pulled her even closer and she rested her head on his chest.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" he asked her, a note of apprehension in his voice.

"Chakotay," she said, pulling away from him and looking him in the eyes, "I love you! I've never been so sure of anything in my life!"

Suddenly a horrible thought hit her…"Are you...getting...cold feet," she whispered. The whole thought of it made her ache inside. Now she had him, she couldn't imagine a day without him.

Seeing the pain in her eyes and the worry on her face and leaned in and kissed her more deeply and passionately than he had ever done before. When they broke apart he whispered, "Never. You are my life Kathryn. I never want to leave your side."

Embracing him again, they stood holding eachother for several minutes until he said, "I should probably sneak out. The ceremony will be starting soon. Don't want anyone catching me in here."

"No you certainly don't," she responded with a laugh, "get out of here. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"I'll be waiting for you Kathryn," he said, giving her one last, soft kiss before he departed.

…

True to her word, several minutes later Kathryn and Tuvok were standing outside the door to the holodeck where Lizzie and Mr. Bennett were already waiting.

"Kathryn!" he said, coming over and embracing her. "I was so happy when I received your invitation, though I can't say I'm surprised," he finished, giving her a wink.

"Now Papa, don't tease dear Kathryn," said Lizzie coming over and taking his arm. "Are you ready?" she asked, turning to Kathryn.

"I've been ready since I first saw him," Kathryn said with a smile.

"Me too," said Lizzie, returning the smile.

"Well then, what do you say we go get ourselves married?" Kathryn asked, taking Tuvok's arm.

"I agree wholeheartedly!"

The doors opened and there they were. Darcy, in his shirt and coattails, had eyes only for Lizzie and he couldn't help smiling when he saw her there on her father's arm in her beautiful lace dress. She smiled back and her fine eyes shone with happiness.

And Chakotay? Well, Kathryn was breathtaking to him. He couldn't take his eyes off her and his face split into the handsome grin Kathryn loved so much. It took all his strength and will power to keep from running down the aisle and snatching her from Tuvok's arms. Seeing him, her face split into a radiant smile and her eyes shone with such love and devotion that everyone in the room could see it.

They walked down the aisles for what felt like hours for Kathryn. She wanted to break way from Tuvok, run down the aisle, and jump into his arms. That was where she belonged. One glance at Lizzie and Kathryn could tell she felt the same way. Finally, they were at the end of the aisle and he was there in front of her. Reaching out, he took her hand from Tuvok and drew her close to him, wrapping one arm around her waist.

Next to them, Darcy took both of Lizzie's hand in his and stared at her as if he'd won the Lottery. He had eyes for no one else but her and only looked away from her when the priest began the sermon…

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"

Neither of them heard a word of the ceremony. They were so focused on each other that nothing else existed in the whole world. It wasn't until Kathryn heard Chakotay say, "I do" that she realized her part was coming next.

"I do," she said.

"I now pronounce you all husbands and wives, you may kiss the brides."

Chakotay smiled down at her, then drew her close, tipped up her chin, and kissed her...softly at first, then more intense and insistent. Next to them, Darcy and Lizzie were kissing too to the cheers of the crowd. Too quickly they broke apart and they were facing the crowd. Kathryn and Chakotay smiled at their friends and ran down the aisle, laughing all the way as people threw rice all over them.

At the end of the aisle he swept her into his arms as she threw her bouquet to the waiting crowd. It was caught by B'Lana who was immediately caught by Tom and kissed. Laughing, Kathryn and Chakotay watched them and then left the holo-deck. She squirmed, trying to get down but he just held her closer.

"No way, We have ten minutes until the reception in the mess hall and until then you are mine," he whispered in her ear, then began kissing her neck

Smiling , she allowed him to carry her into a little niche in the corridor.

Setting her down, he drew her close and kissed her passionately.

"I love you Chakotay," she said.

"And I love you, Kathryn," he replied.

…

The reception was beautiful...grand chandeliers, giant chocolate cake, large dance floor...the whole shebang. The brides were both glowing and their new husbands were reveling in their happiness. Everything was perfect.

"And how could you expect it not to be captain," Nelix told her, "I did plan the whole thing."

"And we thank you Nelix," said Kathryn, giving Chakotay a look, "everything's beautiful."

As he went off the dance with Kess (who had made a special appearance for the wedding), Kathryn turned and kissed Chakotay.

"If he planned this entire wedding, I'll give up my command," Kathryn said laughing.

"As I understand it, Jane Bennett planned a large amount of the festivities today."

"Remind me to thank her," Kathryn said, "I don't even want to know what would have happened if Nelix planned this thing."

"Now, now, I'm sure Kess would have toned him down a bit."

"I sure hope so," she said, laughing.

"Dance with me?" he asked her.

"Always."

Leading her to the floor, he wrapped his arms around her and they began to waltz, scandalizing many of the old biddies in the crowd.

Smiling, Lizzie whispered something to Darcy and he soon led her on to the floor, causing Mrs. Bennett to faint...the first positive thing she'd done all evening.

Soon everyone was on the floor, waltzing to the music.

Laying her head against his chest, Kathryn sighed with contentment as Chakotay held her even closer to him.

"Don't you ever let go," she whispered.

"Never," he whispered back, kissing the top of her head.

"You're not going to leave me, are you Darcy," Lizzie asked him as they were dancing.

"You wish…" he said with a grin.

"Darcy, I do believe you're actually making a joke," said Elizabeth, laughing.

"I learned from the best," he said pulling her close and kissing her.

"Mmmm...I love you."

"And I love you too...dearest, loveliest, Elizabeth."


End file.
